Bike the Canal

Date: Saturday, May 12Location: Pickleweed Park Community Center, 50 Canal St, San RafaelTime: 11:00am-2:00pmDistance: 7 mile rideBring: Bike, helmet, lunch, water & sunscreenRegister: This event is open to the public and free of charge. Reserve your spot on eventbrite.

This tour will focus on the canal district with a ride along the Bay Trail and outline potential new bikeways throughout the neighborhood designed to create safe routes for walking and biking. A bicycle pit stop along our route will allow the group to prototype a bike-friendly plaza over lunch. Modeled after the “pedal-ins” of the 1960s, this ride will feature a series of talks that explore the ways in which cycling can be a part of mitigating and adapting to climate change. We will discuss plans for a growing regional bike network and how it may serve the goals of emergency preparedness. Participants will have the opportunity to respond to San Rafael’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, currently under development, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow active transportation locally. This tour is part of the “Living With Water” series, created by the Studio for Urban Projects/Bionic Team for the Bay Area Resilient By Design Challenge. It is open to the public and free of charge.

Kayak the Creek

Date: Sunday May 6, 2018Location: 101 Surf Sports, 115 Third St, San RafaelTime: 10:00am-2:00pmDistance: 2 mile paddleBring: water, hat, sunscreen, layers and a snackRegister: This event is open to the public and free of charge. Limited to 40 participants. Reserve your spot on Eventbrite.

This kayaking tour of the San Rafael Creek will paddle to the Living Shorelines Project which re-introduces native oysters and eel grass into the Bay as a form of shoreline protection. Along the way will observe tidal wetlands, wildlife, and native plants and hear about measures to grow wetlands throughout the Bay to make our Baylands more resilient to a changing climate. We will also discuss dredging in the San Rafael canal and learn about how dredged sediment can be used to regenerate wetlands. Participants will be introduced to community led oyster gardening and shell recycling programs, helping to inform how they can become involved in local advocacy. A “shuck your own” oyster picnic, provided by Hog Island Oyster Company, will end the day. These shells will help to build the Living Shorelines of the future. This tour is part of the “Living With Water” series, created by the Studio for Urban Projects/Bionic Team for the Bay Area Resilient By Design Challenge. Participation is limited to 40 and is open to the public free of charge.

Walk the Shoreline

Date: Sunday April 22, 2018Time: 11:00am-2:00pmLocation: Pickleweed Park, 50 Canal St, San RafaelDistance: 2.5 mile walkBring: Binoculars, water, hat, sunscreen, layers and a snackRegister: This event is open to the public and free of charge. All ages welcome. Reserve your spot on Eventbrite.

This Shoreline Walking Tour will begin at Pickleweed Park. In honor of Earth Day, we will look at habitat restoration and sea level rise adaptation strategies along the water’s edge. Beginning at Tiscornia Marsh, we will discuss efforts to protect the eroding shoreline using native plants and will observe birds and other critters that thrive in the marshlands along the Bay. Along our route south, we will hear about Living Shorelines prototypes that re-introduce native oysters and eel grass into the Bay as a form of shoreline protection. We will consider the historic ecology of the canal district, and the future shoreline of San Rafael. Participants will contribute their bird and plant species sightings to a community science survey of the area. Our tour will end at the Marin Rod and Gun Club for an oyster BBQ hosted by Hog Island Oyster Company, the remains of which will help to build the Living Shorelines of the future. This tour is part of theLiving With Water series, created by the Studio for Urban Projects/Bionic Team for the Bay Area Resilient By Design Challenge. We are grateful to Hog Island Oyster Company for their generous donation.

Between the Tides

Date: Saturday, October 21Time: 2:00-4:00 pmLocation:Bolinas Community Center
14 Wharf Road, Bolinas mapRSVP: This event is free and open to the public. $10 Suggested donation.
Please RSVP using Eventbrite.

In conjunction with the Bolinas Museum exhibition Hughen/Starkweather: Where Water Meets Land, the Studio for Urban Projects will host a panel discussion examining the important role oysters have played in the ecology of our bays and the promise they offer for creating resiliency to a changing climate.

Throughout the United States and beyond, oysters are being tested as an approach to adapt to the effects of climate change as well as to restore critical habitat to our waterways. Along Staten Island they are being used to create “living breakwaters” – the Billion Oyster Project in New York aims to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2030. In the Chesapeake Bay, homeowners have been given native oysters to grow from their piers ready to be transplanted to protected sanctuaries. In the Bay Area, oyster reefs are being used as “living shorelines” to stabilize coasts, protect the surrounding riparian and inter-tidal environment, improve water quality, and create habitat. In addition, the seaweed and coastal plants that grow in our salty marshes, often adjacent to oyster reefs, are currently being piloted as a carbon sink. These plants sequester carbon in the leaves, sediments and roots of coastal habitats helping to mitigate future global warming.

These pilot projects also offer insight into our ecological history. New York harbor was once teaming with oysters, and shell mounds were a fixture of San Francisco Bay’s 19th century shoreline. As we look to the future, how can the past inform the solutions we find to the environmental challenges we face?

Our panelists include Katharyn Boyer, a Professor of Biology at the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University and lead scientist for the multi-institution Living Shorelines project; Maria Brown the Superintendent of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; Robin Grossinger a Senior Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, where he co-directs, SFEI’s Resilient Landscapes program and Terry Sawyer, a Founding Partner, Vice President of Project Development and Chief Technical Officer of Hog Island Oysters. The panel will be moderated by Alison Sant, Co-founder and Partner of the Studio for Urban Projects, currently working with the Roberg Tiburon Center to design modular oyster reef systems for the living shorelines project.

Pedal-in!

A ride from Market Street to the Headland’s Commons

Date: September 17thTime: 10:30am-1:30pmLocation: Meet at the foot of Market Street at Harry Bridges PlazaRSVP: All ages are welcome. Reserve your spot through EventbriteTransportation: Please bring your own bike. Helmets are strongly suggested and required for riders under 18. Several family friendly e-bikes are available on a first-come, first-served basis from Vie Bikes. Email info@studioforurbanprojects.org to reserve.

In conjunction with the opening of The Common’s, a new gathering space at Headlands’ Center for the Arts, the Studio for Urban Projects with Packard Jennings, will host a “pedal-in” to the Headlands campus. The ride will feature a series of talks focused on bicycling as a way of claiming public space from our city streets to our parklands.

Public space is critical to assembling political energy and informing community dialog. Modeled after the “ins” (teach-ins, sit-ins, bike-ins) of the 1960s and the political action they inspired, the day will connect the history of bicycling, the environmental movement, and social protest to contemporary action. It will provoke us to consider the commons as an opportunity for shared action.

Our speakers will not only conjure our history but provoke us to think about the way it may guide future political participation. They include Chris Carlsson, instigator of Critical Mass and the Director of Shaping San Francisco; Matt Gonzalez, the former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and a mayoral and vice-presidential candidate; Artist and Activist Jessica Tully; Brian Wiedenmeier, the Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and additional special guests. This roaming conversation will be moderated by Studio for Urban Project’s Alison Sant.

The 10-mile route will start at the foot of Market Street, follow the San Francisco shoreline, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and continue through the Baker-Barry Tunnel. Pedal-In has been commissioned by the Headlands Center for the Arts. We are grateful for the collaboration of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Ink.Paper.Plate. Studio.

Field Lab: Tidelands Oct. 27

Visit the Field Lab and explore the dynamics of the San Francisco Bay. From the critters that live in the tidelands to the impacts of rising seas to the regional policies and projects that will help us adapt to the effects of climate change, the Field Lab will engage the public in understanding our tidelands. Over three weeks, the Field Lab will be installed in front of the museum providing a venue for hands-on workshops, talks, radio broadcasts, a research library, and film screenings.

Thursday, October 2712:00–3:00 p.m.Field Lab LibraryCome browse titles from the Exploratorium’s Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery. Flip through a field guide to underwater plants or learn about the tides.

1:00 p.m.Lab and Lunch: Designing for Rising TidesWith Jad Daley, Brett Milligan, Margie O’Driscoll and Robin Grossinger
As we plan for the future how do we create robust plans for diverse communities? Which experiments from big to small will inform how we plan for the effects of climate change? This talk will examine a range of design approaches and the ways they may be prototyped to achieve effective solutions througout the Bay. Archived Audio: Designing for Rising Tides Panel Discussion (01:34 MP3)

Jad Daley is Director of the Trust for Public Land’s Climate Conservation Program and coordinates their work on the development of climate-smart citiesBrett Milligan is Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Department of Human Ecology at UC Davis, and a member of the Dredge Research CollaborativeMargie O’Driscoll is Competition Advisor of the Bay Area: Resilient By Design ChallengeRobin Grossinger, Senior Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, co-director of the Resilient Landscapes Program

2:00–3:00 p.m.Observing the BayWith Lori LambertsonJoin us for a demonstration exploring the dynamics of the Bay. Observe the changing tides, the salinity of the Bay’s waters, and how greenhouse gases effect our air and water.Lori Lambertson, Senior Educator of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute

7:00 p.m.Films at the Field Lab: Waterways
For one evening, the Field Lab will be transformed into an outdoor cinema. Join us for a program of shorts curated by the Exploratorium’s Cinema Arts group. A selection of documentaries, artist-made films, and archival footage will offer a multifaceted look at water and our relationship to it. From poetic evocations to aerial investigations, the program will consider our local landscape of the Bay shore, tidal zones, and natural cycles.

Field Lab: Tidelands Oct. 20

Visit the Field Lab and explore the dynamics of the San Francisco Bay. From the critters that live in the tidelands to the impacts of rising seas to the regional policies and projects that will help us adapt to the effects of climate change, the Field Lab will engage the public in understanding our tidelands. Over three weeks, the Field Lab will be installed in front of the museum providing a venue for hands-on workshops, talks, radio broadcasts, a research library, and film screenings.

Thursday, October 20
12:00–3:00 p.m.Field Lab LibraryCome browse titles from the Exploratorium’s Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery. Flip through a field guide to underwater plants or learn about the tides.

1:00 p.m.Lab and Lunch: Resilient LandscapesWith Katharyn Boyer, Rebecca Johnson and Shawn LaniBring your lunch and examine the ways in which the Bay’s historical ecology may inform our approaches to climate change adaptation. We’ll look at ways in which “green” infrastructures of restored wetlands and oyster reefs, which help buffer against rising tides, can mix with the “grey” infrastructures of sea walls, levees, and dikes to produce new models of urban infrastructure. We will explore how our approaches to adaptation have direct consequences for the biodiversity and ecological resilience of the Bay Area. And we’ll address ways in which we, as citizen scientists, can track the changes taking place, which can inform potential solutions. Moderated by Alison Sant, co-founder and partner in the Studio for Urban Projects. Recording archived here (mp3 64:51).

Katharyn Boyer, Professor of Biology at San Francisco State’s Romberg Tiburon CenterRebecca Johnson, Director of Citizen Science at the California Academy of Sciences.Shawn Lani, Founding Director of the Exploratorium’s Studio for Public Spaces.

2:00–3:00 p.m. Wetlands Restoration WorkshopWith Patrick Marley Rump and Denise KingJoin us for a workshop exploring the plants used to restore San Francisco Bay’s vital wetlands and the critters that live among them.

Field Lab: Tidelands Oct. 13

Visit the Field Lab and explore the dynamics of the San Francisco Bay. From the critters that live in the tidelands to the impacts of rising seas to the regional policies and projects that will help us adapt to the effects of climate change, the Field Lab will engage the public in understanding our tidelands. Over three weeks, the Field Lab will be installed in front of the museum providing a venue for hands-on workshops, talks, radio broadcasts, a research library, and film screenings.

Thursday, October 1312:00–3:00 p.m.Field Lab LibraryCome browse titles from the Exploratorium’s Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery. Flip through a field guide to underwater plants or learn about the tides.

1:00 p.m. Lab and Lunch: Planning for Climate ChangeWith Larry Goldzband, Laura Tam, and Gil KelleyBring your lunch and join a discussion about how coastal cities are planning for climate change, how we understand where and how to make our cities more resilient, what opportunities we have for community engagement and better public spaces, and how these projects are permitted without disrupting longstanding conservation policies. Alison Sant, cofounder and partner in the Studio for Urban Projects, will moderate. Archived recording here (mp3 55:34).

Larry Goldzband is Executive Director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)Laura Tam is SPUR’s Sustainability DirectorGil Kelley is the General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability for the city of Vancouver

2:00–3:00 p.m.Observing the BayWith Lori LambertsonJoin us for a demonstration exploring the dynamics of the Bay. Observe the changing tides, the salinity of the Bay’s waters, and how greenhouse gases effect our air and water.Lori Lambertson, Senior Educator of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute

7:00 p.m.Tide LogWith Cris Benton and Marina PsarosLearn about our changing tides with presenters who use photography to document the Bay. Explore Cris Benton’s kite aerial photography from his book Saltscapes, which examines the South Bay Salt Ponds, the largest wetland restoration project on the West Coast.

Marina Psaros, Founder of the King Tides Project, will share photographs of a 10-year long citizen science project documenting king tides in coastal areas around the world. Her work provides insight into future average tides based on the flooding that we now experience twice a year, when the moon is closest to Earth.

Cris Benton, author of Saltscapes: The Kite Aerial Photography of Cris BentonMarina Psaros, Founder of the King Tides Project